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SPEECH THERAPY

I

Speech therapy or logopedics is a science about the infringements of speech, the methods of their prevention, revealing and elimination by means of special training and education. Speech therapy studies the reasons, mechanisms, semi logy, current structure of infringements of speech activity, and the system of correctional influence.

The term ‘logopedics’ comes from the Greek roots: logos (a word) and pedos (I bring up, I train) – and in translation means “education or teaching correct speech”.

The subject of speech therapy as a science is the infringements of speech and the process of training and education of persons with frustrated speech activity. The object of studying is the person (individual), treated for the infringement of speech.

The infringements of speech are studied by physiologists, neuropathologies, psychologists, linguists, etc. thus everyone considers them under the certain point of view according to the purposes, problems and means of the science.

Speech therapy considers speech disturbance from the positions of the prevention and overcoming it by means of specially organized training and education, therefore it deals with special pedagogic.

The structure of modern speech therapy is made with preschool, school and the speech therapy of teenagers and adults.

The basic purpose of speech therapy is the development of scientifically proven system of training, education and re-education of persons with the infringements of speech, and also the prevention of speech frustration.

It creates optimum conditions for the development of the personality of children with the infringements of speech. There are numerous modern researches by Russian and foreign authors testifying great compensating opportunities in the development of children’s brain and the perfection of ways and the methods of speech therapy correctional influence.

Proceeding from the definition of speech therapy as a science, it is possible to focus on its problems:

1. Studying speech activity at various forms of speech infringements;

2. Defining the prevalence, semi logy and a degree of displays of infringements of speech;

3. Revealing of dynamics of the spontaneous and directed development of children with the infringements of speech activity, and also the character of influence of speech frustration on the formation of their personality, mental development, realization of various kinds of activity, behaviour;

4. Studying the forming features of speech and speech infringements at children with various deviations in development (with intelligence, hearing, sight handicaps);

5. Finding-out the background and the reasons, the mechanisms, the structure and semi logy of speech infringements;

6. Developing the methods of pedagogical diagnosis of speech frustration.

7. Ordering speech frustration;

8. Developing the principles, the differentiated methods and the means of elimination of speech infringements;

9. Perfecting the methods of preventive maintenance of speech frustration.

10. Developing the organization questions of the speech therapy help.

The theoretical aspect of speech therapy is studying speech frustration and the development of scientifically proven methods of its preventive maintenance, revealing and overcoming; though its practical aspect is the preventive maintenance, revealing and elimination of speech infringements. The theoretical and practical problems of speech therapy are closely connected.

It is necessary to fulfil the following tasks to match the aims and the problems of speech therapy:

• to use intersubject communications and to attract many experts studying speech and its infringements (psychologists, neuropsychologists, neurophysiologists, linguists, teachers, doctors of various specialties, etc.);

• to maintain interrelation of the theory and practice, communication of scientific and practical establishments for faster introduction in practice of advanced scientific achievements;

• to realize the principle of early revealing and overcoming of speech infringements;

• to distribute speech therapy knowledge among the population to prevent the maintenance of infringements of speech.

The fulfilling of the listed tasks defines the course of speech therapy influence. The basic direction of speech therapy influence is the development of speech, the correction and preventive maintenance of its infringements. During the speech therapy work the development of touch functions is provided; the development of motility is provided, especially speech motility; the development of cognitive activity, first of all thinking, memorizing, attention; the formation of the child personality with simultaneous regulations, and also correction of social attitudes onto the influence on social environment.

II

The organization of speech therapy process allows eliminating or softening of both speech, and psychophysical infringements, promoting achievement of an overall objective of pedagogical influence, where the main target is to train the personality.

The speech therapy influence should be directed on both external and internal factors causing infringements of speech. It represents the complex pedagogical process directed first of all on correction and indemnification of infringements of speech activity.

Speech therapy is closely connected with many sciences. Successfully to be engaged in correction and preventive maintenance of various speech infringements, comprehensively to influence the personality, it is necessary to know semi logy of speech infringements, the etiology, the mechanisms of speech and nonverbal symptoms in the structure of infringements of speech activity.

A speech therapist uses the general anatomy and physiology, neurophysiology of speech mechanisms, the brain organization of speech process, knows the structure and the functions of the analyzers taking part in speech activity.

For the understanding of the mechanisms of speech infringements and revealing of laws of correctional process it is important to know the dynamic localization of the maximum mental functions, the brain organization of speech processes.

The speech functional system is based on the activity of many brain structures, each of which carries out the certain operation in speech activity.

The process of articulation, the motor organization of the speech production is carried out on the basis of the thin regulation of the coordinated complex work of speech muscles. The motor organization of the speech production is provided with the secondary departments of the post central area and the bottom departments of the left pre-motor area.

The choice of language units and their combination, the processes of sense decoding of speech form are impossible without the participation of the most highly organized structures of the brain bark, tertiary departments of front forehead and parietal and occipital areas.

Thus, various brain zones participate differently in the process of speech production. A defeat of its any site leads to specific symptoms of infringements of speech activity. The data about the brain organization of speech process enables to specify the representations of etiology and mechanisms of infringements of speech activity. These data are especially necessary for differential diagnostics of various forms of a speech disturbance, at local defeats of a brain that allow to plan speech therapy work more effectively on restoration of speech at these patients.

Speech therapy is also closely connected with otoloringologia, neuropathology, psychopathology, clinic oligofrenia, pediatrics. So, the given pathologies of ears and speeches (for example, at voice infringements ) enable not only to define etiology of infringements, but also allow to combine correctly speech therapy work with medical influence (medical and physiotherapeutic treatment, operative intervention, etc.). These data are necessary at studying and elimination of voice frustration, infringements of speech at the lowered hearing, etc. In particular, voice frustration can be caused by various organic damages of throat and voice cords (a tumor, papillomas, particular damages of voice cords, etc.). The elimination of infringements of voice in these cases is impossible without normal physiological functioning of voice that is provided with medical, surgical, physiotherapeutic, psychotherapeutic influence.

III

Many kinds of speech infringements are connected with an organic defeat of the central nervous system, and their diagnostics is possible only with the joint efforts of the speech therapist and neuropathology or neuropsychiatric specialists. At speech frustration various infringements of mental activity can be observed: backlog of mental development, behavioural and emotional infringements, infringements of attention, memory, intellectual working capacity, etc. Their estimation in structure of speech frustration, the analysis of mechanisms of their occurrence, differentiation are primary connected with the defeat of the central nervous system, and secondary infringements of mental activity in connection with speech defect are the competence of the neuropsychiatric specialists. That doctor makes up the conclusion about the intelligence condition of the child, establishes the clinical speech diagnosis and provides corresponding treatment.

These data have great value for the correct pedagogical analysis of speech infringement and the organization of speech therapy work, the choice of structure of special establishment.

Many kinds of speech infringements connected with the brain maturing delay are connected with early organic (sometimes even minimal) defeat. In these cases speech therapy work turns out to be effective only when it is combined with the special medical treatment stimulating the maturing of the central nervous system. This treatment is provided by the neuropsychiatric specialists. In some cases speech infringements are combined with the impellent anxiety, the raised emotional excitability and the employment of the speech therapist will not be effective until the child does not receive special treatment.

The reason of some kinds of speech frustration, for example, some forms of stutter, can be sharp mental traumas: the fright, excitement, change of a habitual stereotype (separation from relatives), etc. During the moment of their occurrence the child requires a corresponding mode of treatment; only the teamwork of the neuropsychiatries and the speech therapist may promote the recovery. All these data testify that though speech therapy is a pedagogical science, it can solve the problems successfully only in close connection with medical sciences and first of all neuropathology and children’s psychiatry.

The theory of training and education of abnormal children including children with speech frustration is under construction on the basis of knowledge of the structure of nervous system, its functions and the features of its development.

The speech therapist should know neurologic bases of speech frustration, to be focused on the questions of children’s psychopathology, to know about the most frequent forms of mental infringements at children, the so-called boundary conditions shown in behavioural and emotional infringements, oligophrenia and the delays of mental development. This knowledge will help the specialist to define the correct structure of speech infringement, to choose the optimal methods of correction, training and education of the child and to warn abnormal development of the person. The communication and co- operation of a speech therapist with neuropathologists, psychopathologists, clinic oligophrenics, the specialists in the field of pathology of ears and sight is necessary for speech differential diagnostics of the infringements of speech.

So, the diagnostics of infringements of speech at decrease in hearing and touch allalia demands careful inspection of a condition of acoustical function; diagnostics of infringements of speech at oligofrenics and allalia are impossible without the definition of the condition of intelligence, the features of mental and sensor and motor development.

The data of medical sciences help to approach the understanding of etiology, the mechanisms of speech infringements, allow deciding the questions of diagnostics and the differentiated speech therapy influence for the elimination of various forms of speech infringements. Correct definition of children depends on the exact diagnosis in various types of special establishments also.

Speech therapy is also closely connected with linguistic sciences and psycholinguistics. Speech assumes the use of language units of a various level and the rules of its functioning. They can be broken differently at various speech disturbances.

At studying and the elimination of the system of speech infringements in modern speech therapy the news of psycholinguistics, based on the teaching of N. Vigodskiy, of A.Lurija, A.Leonteva about the complex structure of speech activity, about the operations of perception and generation of the speech statement, are widely used. The perception and generation of the speech statement represent the multilevel processes having complex hierarchically organized structure, including various operations. Each level and operation of the process of generation of the speech statement has the vocabulary, the syntax of association units. Any speech statement is generated by the certain motive which is causes by the occurrence of speech ideas.

Speech therapy is also closely connected with the general and special psychology, psycho diagnostics. It is important for a speech therapist to know the laws of mental development of a child, to master the methods of psycho-pedagogical inspection of children of different age. Applying these methods, a speech therapist can differentiate various forms of speech frustration and to differentiate them from the speech infringements connected with intellectual insufficiency, emotional and behavioural frustration. The knowledge of psychology helps a speech therapist to see not only speech frustration, and first of all, the child, correctly to understand interrelation of his or her speech infringements with the features of mental development as a whole. That information will help to come into contact with the children of different age, to choose adequate methods of inspection of their speech, perception, memory, attention, intelligence, emotional-strong-willed sphere, and also to provide speech therapy work more effectively.

IV

Speech therapy as a science has the important theoretical and practical value which is caused by the social essence of language, speech and close connection of the development of speech, thinking and all mental activity of child.

Speech function is one of the major mental functions of a person. During speech development the maximum forms of cognitive activity, ability to conceptual thinking are formed. The word meaning already in itself is the generalization and in this connection represents not only the units of speech, but also the units of thinking. They are not identical and arise to some extent independently from each other. But during mental development of the child there is a complex, qualitatively new unity – speech thinking, the production of speech activity. Mastering the ability of dialogue creates the preconditions for specifically human social contacts owing to which the representations of the child about the surrounding validity are formed and specified, the forms of its reflection are improved. Mastering speech promotes comprehension, planning and regulation of the child behaviour. Dialogue creates the necessary conditions for the development of various forms of activity and participation in collective work.

The infringements of speech to some extent (depending on the character of speech frustration) influence negatively all mental development of the child; reflect in his or her activity, behaviour. Heavy infringements of speech can influence intellectual development, especially the formation of the highest levels of cognitive activity which are caused by the close interrelation of speech and thinking and limitation social, in particular speech, contacts during which the knowledge is carried out by the child of the surrounding validity.

The infringements of speech, limitation of speech dialogue can negatively influence the formation of the personality of a child, cause mental stratifications, specific features of emotional-strong-willed sphere, promote the development of negative features of character (shyness, indecision, isolation, negativism and feeling of inferiority).

The real value of speech therapy is in the help to a child to overcome speech infringements, with that to provide high-grade, its all-round development.

A speech therapist should possess the system of a general-theoretical and special professional study, should know the typology and structure of abnormal development, the ways of the prevention and overcoming of speech insufficiency, the methods of psycho-pedagogical influence.

A speech therapist should be able to distinguish speech infringements, to master the methods of their elimination and correction, special methods of training of children with speech frustration to the native language both in preschool, and at school age, to provide preventive work, it is good to know psychological features of children with a speech pathology, to use receptions and methods of their education, correction and development at the maximum cortex functions. The success in solving these problems depends on the presence of a speech therapist, on his deep professional skills, on wide orientation in the modern domestic and foreign achievements in corresponding sciences, and also on the creative activity and initiative.

A speech therapist must be characterized by following qualities:

- humanistic conviction;

- civil moral maturity;

- cognitive and pedagogical orientation;

- enthusiasm for a trade;

- love for children;

- insistence on him or herself and associates;

- validity, endurance and self-criticism;

- pedagogical creative imagination and observation;

- sincerity, modesty, responsibility, hardness and sequence in words and actions.

- sincerity, modesty, responsibility, hardness and sequence in words and actions.

A speech therapist should conduct the search for the best means of correction of speech of children, generalizing the best practices.

The work of a speech therapist is under construction in the view of the conclusion about the child with the neuropathologist or the neuropsychiatrist. Joint discussion with colleagues of the most complex kinds of speech infringements in the atmosphere of mutual understanding and respect create the favorable conditions for carrying out the correctional work.

The speech of a speech therapist should be the sample for associates, not only children, but also adults. A speech therapist provides a uniform speech mode, trains the average and younger personnel of special children’s establishments in a standard of speech, and in some cases the heads of all teaching and educational process, for example in conditions of special children’s educational establishments.

Ex.1.Answer the questions on the text:

a) What is speech therapy?

b) What are the main purposes of speech therapy?

c) What are the tasks for speech therapy?

d) What qualities should a speech therapist have?

e) What sciences is speech therapy connected with?

f) Are there any unions of speech therapists in the world?

g) Do you think the methods of speech therapy are international?

Ex.2. Say whether the following statements are true or false:

a) Speech therapy deals with mentally disadvantaged children.

b) Speech defects are inherited.

c) Speech therapists work in every educational establishment.

d) Speech defects are caused with traumas.

e) Speech therapy is an independent science.

f) Speech therapy has got the great value for the development of world economy.

g) Logopeds are trained in the special schools and classes.

h) Speech therapists have got the infringements of speech.

i) Medical treatment is required for the elimination of speech defects.

j) No special information is needed to help the patient to get rid of speech defects.

k) The methods of speech therapy are the same all around the world.

Ex.3. Find the synonymous words in the text:

- speech therapist;

- the infringements of speech;

- an example;

- to spread the information;

- learning;

- at the same time;

- the world around us.

Ex.4. Which word in the list is odd?

a) otoloringologia, linguists, psychologists, neuropathologists, physiologists, physiologists.

b) sincerity, modesty, responsibility, hardness and sequence in words and actions, pedagogical creative imagination and observation, love for children, cognitive and pedagogical orientation, civil moral maturity, humanity, cognitive activity.

c) ordering speech frustration, to distribute speech therapy knowledge among the population to prevent the maintenance of infringements of speech, to realize the principle of early revealing and overcoming of speech infringements, to use intersubject communications and to attract many experts studying speech and its infringements.

Ex.5. Make up one sentence of your own with the words and word combinations listed above.

Ex.6. Make up five types of questions on the text.

Ex.7. Fill in the blanks with active words and word combinations:

1. … … is closely connected with neuropathology.

2. Speech therapy aims for the formation of … speech.

3. A speech therapist should have …, … and love for … .

4. Sometimes speech defects are connected with … … delay and even minimal … … .

5. … treatment is required in case of serious … problems.

6. Speech therapy has … influence and value.

7. The basic direction of … … is the formation of … … .

8. Speech is the realization of … … .

9. Some forms of stuttering are caused with brain … .

10. The civil value of speech therapy is in the value of speaking as the main source of … .

Ex.8. Make up the plan of the text. Here are the titles in the wrong order. Make the order correct:

- the character features of a speech therapist;

- the brain zones participating in speech production;

- intersubject relation of speech therapy with other sciences;

- the aims of speech therapy;

- the tasks to fulfill for a speech therapist;

- the realization of pedagogical and medical principles in the work of a speech therapist.